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![[parent]](http://images.planetmath.org:8080/images/uparrow.png) Viewing Correction to 'Erd\H{o}s number'
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rephrase by mps
Correction id: 10085
Filed on: 2006-09-19 01:25:49
Status: Accepted on 2006-09-19 17:30:35
Type: Meta/Minor
Correction text:
1. This does not clearly define Erd\H{o}s number. It's worth
mentioning the collaboration graph to simplify the definition.
For example, one could write:
The Erd\H{o}s number of a person is a number roughly measuring
the closeness of that person's collaboration with Paul Erd\H{o}s.
More formally, the \emph{collaboration graph} is the graph $G$
whose vertex set consists of all persons, where two vertices
$x$ and $y$ are connected by an edge if and only if $x$ and $y$
have a joint publication. Then the \emph{Erd\H{o}s} number of
a person $x$ is the distance in $G$ (possibly infinity) of
$x$ from Erd\H{o}s.
(The first sentence in the proposed revision needs work.)
2. The restriction that a mathematician be alive when Erd\H{o}s
was born to have an Erd\H{o}s number is not necessary. |
Comment from correction handler Lando47:
More formally, the \emph{collaboration graph} is the graph $G$
whose vertex set consists of all persons, where two vertices
$x$ and $y$ ...
That actually sounds more confusing for me (a literal example makes it clearer than anything else) but I can see how others (esp. graph theorists) would find that definition more appealing, so I'm adding it.
2. The restriction that a mathematician be alive when Erd\H{o}s
was born to have an Erd\H{o}s number is not necessary.
You're right about that. Heck, we might even be able to compute an Erdos number for Pythagoras, even though I might not care to do so. |
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